


The Things that Follow Us Everywhere

by balloonaloo



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Advice, Anxiety, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Other, Regrets, Zuko (Avatar) whump, Zuko Gets a Hug, Zuko Needs a Hug, aang is nervous about his destiny, aang is wise, appa is a good boy, appa just loves zuko, emotional issues, takes place between boiling rock and southern raiders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:07:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24417124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/balloonaloo/pseuds/balloonaloo
Summary: "At what point do the things you’ve done stop haunting you? I suppose for my actions, it’s justified. Shame shadows me. I find it wherever I go. It follows me even in my dreams. The times I find myself enjoying the things around me…I remember who I am and what I have done."--In which regret hits Zuko hard, and Aang is the person that ends up giving him advice that a twelve year old shouldn't be able to give -- but, he is the Avatar.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Appa & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 310





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I love atla. I've been in the fandom since I was little, and I recently watched the show again, for the billionth time, lol, and decided to write about my favorite fire prince. Forgive me for any mistakes I may make. This story really just focuses on emotions, and kinda about the Avatar and how the whole spiritual thing works in that aspect. 
> 
> I don't own the show or it's amazing characters! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: the original story and it’s characters do not belong to me, it is only a non-profit fan work created out of respect for the original work. If I have crossed a line or written something that the creator prohibits, I will take this work down immediately  
**

* * *

  
  
Zuko could feel tension building in his head. The pressure created a murkiness in his mind that enveloped every thought and distorted it uncomfortably. He could hardly concentrate at all through the cloud in his mind, quickly turning into a migraine. His expression, already impassive, turned slightly somber.

“It’s going to rain,” he said softly, eyes unmoving from their place on the flickering flame.

“That’s great,” Toph grumbled, knowing the rain brought extra chores.

“How can you tell?” Aang questioned.

Zuko glanced up at the Avatar, the child he had once obsessed over in a futile effort to get home; “ _home”_.

“The pressure changes. I can feel it in my head,” Zuko explained. “plus, the clouds are dark and heavy over there…or erm, fluffier.”

Sokka directed his gaze at Zuko, lips drawn up in an amused fashion due to his final description. The fire prince smiled slightly at his friend, and then realized everyone was watching him and bristled under the eyes of his newfound friends. So, to illustrate his point, Zuko pointed up at the dark sky. Night had fallen, spreading its veil across the Earth, but it didn’t stop Zuko’s eyes from seeing the clouds. They were illuminated by the faint glow of the moon, resting and watching peacefully from behind the large, darkened clouds. They were hard to see, especially at night, but if you looked hard enough, you could see outlines of billows and puffs.

“Huh, you’re right,” Sokka sighed. “guess that means we need to start preparing for a storm.”

He got up and lingered briefly. “Hey, wait, you can _feel_ it in your head? Like you know when it’s about to rain?”

Zuko nodded. “Sometimes it’s easier to tell than other times, depending on the front that’s coming in.”

“Okay, so that’s cool and all, but how about that time we were out gathering sticks and _you_ left and didn’t say anything when it started to rain! I got the sniffles!” Sokka exclaimed indignantly.

Zuko hid his smile, while the others gathered around the fire laughed.

“It’s not funny!”

The rain had started not long after Zuko’s observation; the group managed to get everything that could potentially fall to ruin due to the harsh weather inside. After that, everyone else retired to their respective rooms, instead of sleeping around the fire and under the protection of the thick slab of stone, due to the fact that the rain quickly turned more intense. It morphed into a storm that was accompanied with flashing lightning, resonant thunder, and violent winds.

Zuko had a hard time falling asleep. Same as the pressure that had built up in his head, anxiety had risen in his chest, accompanied by unwanted thoughts and perception. A cold feeling fell down his spine, imitating the sensation of pins and needles. Zuko shuddered, allowing himself to rest against his bed. The rain came down harshly outside, thudding wildly against surfaces. Lighting flickered; thunder cracked loudly. The storm released its anger upon the world, taking down tree branches, blinding innocents with its bright light, screaming at anyone around with the loudest voice it could muster. 

Zuko’s gripped the cloth on his chest tightly, eyelids gently closing over his amber eyes. He could feel the erratic beat of his heart under his hand and took a deep breath. He was _changed_ , he was _different_. With a deep breath, he relaxed and focused on his breathing, allowing himself to fall into a slumber.

* * *

Perhaps Zuko slept for a few hours, while the storm fluctuated in intensity, he gained a moment of escape from his tormented mind before it all came crumbling down. A torrent of screams and anguish over bitterness and past actions stirred up agony in his mind. The subject of disappointment, the slave of anger and remorse.

Zuko was the exiled prince, the boy without a home. He was renounced as a son and as a brother, made to be a traitor and a dishonorable fool. Zuko was full of horrible decisions, ones that were bred from selfish ambitions and affected the only people that ever cared about his miserable existence. Uncle warned him of aberration. He tried to guide Zuko to a path of good, but instead Zuko just made wrong turns wherever he went, bent on rebellion.

The mistakes he made would rest on his shoulders, they would cause Zuko to hold the weight of his choices as if he were holding the weight of the world. Suffering would be his teacher. His scar felt hot. _His scar was on fire._ Zuko screamed.

There was a crack of thunder, loud and powerful enough to shake the entire temple, and Zuko shot up. He took a shuddering intake of air, hands shaking horribly, bottom lip quivering and heart thrumming ferociously in his chest; it beat so hard Zuko presumed it may beat right out of his chest. The storm was coming down with passion, raindrops large and thunder loud. Zuko’s mind was overcome with regret, clouded with misery. Anxiety and panic clawed at his chest, and he could feel himself heating up.

His scar hurt. He placed his hands flat on his bed and stood abruptly, teeth chattering. He looked down in horror at the fire he lit on his bed. Tears clouded his vision, he desperately blinked them away as he stomped the fire out and rushed out of the room. He brought a hand up to his scar, trembling as he ran across the temple. It hurt.

He ran down the corridors and out into the storm, the noise of his light, agile footsteps drowned out by the raucous noise of the storm. Zuko fell to his knees, soaking wet and clutching his face. When had he lost his dignity? When had he lost his honor? His breaths came out labored and fast, hair stuck to the side of his face from the rain. Water dripped from his chin and fell noiselessly into a puddle beneath him. 

It began when he rebelled the first time. Uncle had advised him against it. Zuko never learned. He never, ever seemed to learn from his actions, did he? In a way, he was glad it happened. He wouldn’t be here with the Avatar now, but he couldn’t contain the regret that was inside of him. The thoughts ate him alive. He was so sorry, he was.

_He used to want to go home and regain his honor, but now all he wanted was forgiveness._

Guilt pushed him down, stepping on his back like a heavy boot. Zuko’s cry was drowned out by the rain and thunder. Rain pooled in his eyes, Zuko didn’t know if he was crying or if it was just rainwater. He couldn’t feel anything except for the panic and pain spreading across his chest, like horrible, horrible fire. Deep down, he was surprised at the Avatar’s choice to let him join. He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve the friendship that was extended to him by Aang or by Sokka or by Toph. He didn’t deserve to laugh with them or joke with them. Katara’s reception was justified. He got angry that she refused to vindicate him – but he _deserved it_.

Something brushed against his side. Zuko flinched and jerked away. There was a low growl, but it wasn’t hostile or vicious. It was one of concern. The sky bison, the Avatar’s companion for life stood before him, towering over him. Its fur dripped as it became soaked with rainwater. Appa groaned again before extending his tongue and licking Zuko. The boy was surprised, at first. Appa lowered himself down, large, brown eyes watching Zuko before nudging the ex-prince gently with his snout.

Zuko wanted to be irritated, he wanted to channel the old Zuko and push the beast away; he wanted to be alone...but he couldn’t find it in him. He had been stripped down tonight, and the creature found him raw and defenseless. Zuko was rather fond of Appa, anyways. The fire bender reached a shaky hand and ran it through the wet fur. Before he even knew what he was doing, he was collapsed on the side of the creature. Appa curled around Zuko, shielding him from the downpour. The gentle giant nuzzled the boy, who was relaxing into the damp fur.

“Regret follows you everywhere, Appa,” Zuko croaked.

Appa grunted in response.

“I don’t want to be alone. I hope that the others understand I’m sincere. I hope they understand that I will not be like my father...I won’t.”

Appa breathed out softly and blinked slowly. He snuggled Zuko lovingly and snorted again as if he were saying: “ _You are not alone. They won’t think that. And you won’t be like him_.” At least, that’s what Zuko interpreted it as. 

* * *

Aang was not getting a night of restful sleep. It was to be expected when you could hardly hear anything but the assault of rain and thunder coming from outside. Just when Aang blissfully about to fall asleep, thunder would boom, and lightning would flash across his vision and startle him awake. Aang had seen so many storms in his life, yet he didn’t know why this one caused him so much anxiety. It was like something was telling him to just go outside in the midst of it. 

_What_? He told himself. _That’s crazy!_

At the same time, he _was_ the Avatar. He had learned to trust his instincts. They generally led him to discover multitudes of things. Aang sat up and pulled his legs up to his chest. Anxiety bubbled in his stomach when another crack of thunder sounded. Why did things always have to be so difficult? He looked towards the door. _Go_. What was telling him that, did he really want to risk getting a cold? No, well, Aang could just water bend the rainwater off of him, it was no big deal. He didn’t want to. Something was keeping him from going out. 

“But I’m doing it! I’m mastering the elements! I am _going_ to defeat Firelord Ozai!” Aang said suddenly. 

The thunder seemed to stop for a moment, the only sound was the rough padding of rain. He looked around his empty room. Yeah. That was it. He was still avoiding his destiny, wasn’t he? Katara had mentioned he seemed off in his water bending, even though pretty much knew all the techniques already. He had seen it on Toph’s face when he practiced earth bending. And Zuko had flat out said it when he was teaching Aang fire bending. It was like Aang was sabotaging himself. But he didn’t have time for that. They _were_ on a time limit and he had to learn the elements – master – before that limit was up. It put a lot of pressure on Aang. He couldn’t help himself; he knew that he was subconsciously doing it, but consciously, he knew he had to stop. 

He could not avoid his destiny. 

_Go_.

Aang stood up and left the room. Outside he was met rain that smacked him in the face, and thunder that was so unruly it shook him. He wandered and trudged. The lightning flashed and he caught sight of a figure rushing, bare feet splashing through puddles. He hadn’t appeared to have seen Aang and continued to run, lost in his mind, following an inconsequential path. Aang charted after him when he recognized the figure as his fire bending sifu, Zuko. The lighting had illumined his face, revealing wild, overwhelmed eyes. 

Aang was surprised to see the foreign look in Zuko’s eyes, which were usually so full of…well, private information. Zuko appeared to be a clandestine person, his past was latent and shrouded in mystery. His demeanor was generally indifferent, irritated, or composed, but never had Aang seen him like this. He hesitated when the prince fell to his knees. He seemed to be having trouble breathing, one hand was grasping his scarred eye, while the other held his chest in such a grip. Sympathy and concern flooded Aang, his nature began to take over and he just wanted to go over and comfort Zuko – _Zuko_ , who had once been an enemy, and was now a friend. 

He took a tentative step, but before he could make it any further, he halted at the sight of his best friend, Appa. The sky bison grunted and clambered towards Zuko. _Where had he come from?_ Aang wondered why he hadn’t heard his friend approach – it was quite loud. Zuko didn’t seem to notice him either, which was also strange. Appa approached the collapsed prince. Zuko recoiled. At first, Aang was slightly worried about his response, but Zuko didn’t look like he was going to hurt Appa. His eyes were filled with sorrow. Appa licked Zuko, and he looked dazed and confused. 

Aang could see anger flash in his eyes, and his worry for Appa was back. But Zuko suddenly looked so defeated. Aang watched as Zuko pet Appa, and then the thought-to-be prideful ex-prince fell against the creature, exhaustion apparent and obvious to anyone around. Appa proceeded to curl himself protectively around Zuko. Aang took a step forward, concealing himself still. Zuko was saying something, but Aang could hardly make it out.

“Regret…everywhere, Appa...”

Aang got a little closer. Appa spotted him but made no movements to indicate that he had. 

“…I don’t…I hope that…understand I’m sincere. I hope…not...I won’t.”

Appa breathed out and looked directly at Aang for a moment before grunting. He missed most of what Zuko had said, but he was still shocked at Zuko’s vulnerability. And perhaps a little at his sky bison. The bond between Zuko and Appa was a little unexpected, but Appa had such a big heart that Aang wasn’t too surprised. If Appa wanted to reach out to Zuko, so did Aang. And he would. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: the original story and it’s characters do not belong to me, it is only a non-profit fan work created out of respect for the original work. If I have crossed a line or written something that the creator prohibits, I will take this work down immediately**

* * *

The morning following the storm was filled with cleaning up debris that had scattered across the temple floor and assessing any damage caused by the strong weather the previous night. Aang looked out at the temple. The sun was up, and the sky was blue, not a cloud in sight. The air smelled fresh and damp, but it was so pleasant that Aang had to take a moment to breathe in deeply. He looked out and appreciated the beauty that the storm had brought in its wake. The sound of nature carried by the slight breeze reached his ears and spread a warm smile across his face. Aang wondered, 

_How could something so horrible bring something so wonderful?_

He was jostled out of his peaceful musing by the sounds of arguing behind him. He turned around; eyebrows drawn in concern. Katara and Sokka seemed to be going at it. _Again_. No one had gotten much sleep last night, as was evident in the fatigue worn on everyone’s expressions and the bags that clung to the skin under everyone’s eyes. Irritation had been steadily rising this morning since everyone had woken up, and it was only getting worse by the minute. Sokka was hungry – he was not the only one, of course – and he wanted to eat first and _then_ clean up, but the problem started when Katara accused him of forgetting to put away the clean pots from last night's dinner. They were scattered or gone, now. 

“What am I supposed to make breakfast in!?” Katara barked.

“Toph can bend the earth and make us a bowl or something!” Sokka countered, gesturing wildly towards the earthbender who stood by idly.

It wasn’t the point Katara was making. She was upset about Sokka’s laziness and negligence in not doing what she had asked last night, and she just wanted to let him know. So, now nothing was really getting done. Toph stood by with her hands on her hips, a small, amused smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she observed the two Water tribe teenagers bickering, while Suki and Hokada were trying their best to break up the argument between the siblings, but it was a futile attempt. They both wanted something from each other, and neither of them were giving in. 

Aang turned his attention elsewhere. Everyone else was trying to keep occupied picking up the temple a little bit, even Appa and Momo were doing their part. Aang grinned as he watched the sky bison groan and use his tail to push broken tree branches that had fallen from above off the side of the temple, while Momo followed his lead and continuously picked them up and tossed them off. At the sight of his sky bison, Aang remembered Zuko. He scanned until he spotted the fire bender a little ways away. 

Zuko was busy, same as the others, picking up broken tree branches or blown-in debris. Aang studied his fire bending master, squinting as he did so. Zuko’s lips were drawn into a thin line, forcing the quiet, imperturbable, and almost unreadable expression. His movements were methodical, even in the simple task of picking up. It showed Aang the strict regimen and indoctrination that the Fire Nation employed on its citizens, including that of the royal family, starting at a young age. Even though Zuko had broken away from the suffocating grip of the Fire Nation, the self-discipline was still prominent to this day. 

His golden eyes were focused on his assignment, narrowed into a dedication. Aang respected Zuko because it seemed like no matter what task was handed to him, he gave it his all and went above and beyond to achieve greatness. Aang giggled to himself, Zuko could really be the best at picking up sticks if he wanted too. 

Zuko turned to Aang, suddenly aware that someone was watching him. His eyes narrowed in confusion and questioning, and Aang continued to stare. Zuko stood up straight, frowning. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?!” He asked, aggressive, raspy voice breaking Aang out of his daze. 

“O-oh, sorry. Just – zoned out there for a sec,” Aang responded sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. 

Zuko’s eyebrow went up and he produced a questioning look before going back to what he was doing. The Avatar thought about what he saw last night. Zuko never revealed anything to them, he was a closed book. He was self-restraint and strong will and it was shocking to see anything but that. But a person is a person, and everyone has weaknesses – Aang knew that personally. Some of him felt like Zuko was just hiding it because he didn’t feel comfortable sharing his emotions, which hurt Aang slightly. He did want anyone that was accepted into the group to be able to share freely and be able to express themselves. Zuko locked himself up. 

The only person who had been able to comfort him in a time of need, or even _see him up close and personal_ , was Appa. Aang didn’t know how he was going to approach the situation. He needed to do it discreetly, figure out what exactly it was that was bothering Zuko so he could help. He wanted to respect Zuko’s privacy, but at the same time, he couldn’t ignore the urge and the tugging in his gut. He chewed on his cheek nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to another. 

“What’s got you going, Twinkle Toes?” 

Aang jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of Toph. She must have gotten bored with Katara and Sokka’s arguing. 

“What do you mean?” Aang wondered. 

“I _mean_ that I can feel your apprehension. What’s on your mind?” She said, using her pinky finger to scratch the inside of her ear. 

“Oh, right. It’s just something that I saw.” Toph’s cheek twitched ever so slightly, as she leaned in, marginally interested. “And you know, everything leading up to fighting the Firelord. I’m trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do right now. It’s confusing.” 

“It's not _that_ confusing. You’re supposed to master all the elements. Even Sokka could figure that out,” Toph said nonchalantly. 

“But—”

“No _buts_ Twinkle Toes, those are for sitting!” She raised her fist and smacked him lightly in the arm, but it still hurt. “Stop worrying. You’re supposed to learn the elements, and probably learn about yourself with the bending teachers you’re learning with. And those three great bending teachers who won’t let you fail, and I think you know you won’t fail either.” 

Toph stood up proudly and walked back to where Sokka and Katara were still fighting, this time she threw her hat into the ring. Aang cast his eyes back towards the sky. _Mastering the elements_.

The arguing finally stopped when Katara’s stomach grumbled loudly. Aang was surprised at how quickly they made up after that, but he _was_ thankful because he was very hungry. Everyone else was, too. Toph constructed a tureen out of earth for Katara to make breakfast in and once it was served everyone seemed to scarf it down ridiculously fast. Aang noticed that Toph had positioned herself right next to Zuko, closer than normal. It was after breakfast that Aang overheard them talking quietly.

“Were you training in the storm or something last night?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I see with my feet, dummy, remember? What were you doing running around while it was pouring rain?”

“I was…” Zuko’s voice dropped in volume, making it difficult for Aang to eavesdrop – which really, he shouldn’t be making a habit of doing, but here he was. “…I had a nightmare. That’s it. I was clearing my head.”

Toph and Zuko seemed to have a special bond. A friendship had been born even after Zuko had unintentionally burned her feet. Aang admired her for not holding a grudge, for that or what he did to them, not that she was really there for the majority of that. He would joke around the most with her. That had changed a little after Aang had gone with him to learn from the firebending masters, and now Toph wasn’t the only one who had a special bond with Zuko; Sokka seemed to have a soft spot for him too, which wasn’t what Aang was expecting to happen. After they got back from Boiling Rock, it was like all the animosity had been completely forgotten and replaced with friendship. Aang was really happy to see that they were getting along so well.

“Yeah, well…” Toph hesitated before elbowing Zuko in the ribs. “don’t do it again. You’ll get sick.”

“Worried about my wellbeing?” Zuko asked, teasing implied in every word as he rubbed his newly sore ribs.

“First and last time, I assure you, Sparky.”

Aang figured that if Toph had felt Zuko’s vibrations from last night, she had felt his as well. But he wondered why she hadn’t approached him about leaving? Perhaps it was the difference in their emotions. Toph didn’t touch it further, not knowing the exact details of the situation, but there had been a difference in Zuko and Aang’s behavior. While Aang was anxious at first, that anxiety had died down too little, and Zuko’s was raging the entire time. Toph probably put two and two together and figured out that Aang had been following the prince. 

“Aang, we should begin training for today,” Zuko stated around noon. 

He was a little nervous, as he walked beside his fire bending teacher. “What are we going to learn today, Sifu Hotman?”

“Would you stop calling me that!?” Zuko snapped, and then composed himself quickly. “We’re just going over basic forms. Sometimes you have to go back a few steps before you take off. Recall is important, I want to make sure you have them all memorized.” 

Aang nodded. He glanced at Zuko’s expression, grimacing at the forlorn look in his eyes. The scarred teen scowled suddenly, and the crestfallen countenance vanished. Aang practiced his forms for a while, the sun was shining down on him fiercely, beads of perspiration had appeared on his forehead and back from his work and the warmth of the fire he was bending. It was brilliant, watching the creation of fire from his palms or his feet. The color was more magnificent now that Aang had a different perspective of it. Zuko was nodding in approval.

Aang straightened, taking in a few deep breaths before looking around. “That was a big storm last night,” he said. 

Zuko looked uneasy, but Aang didn’t seem to notice. 

“There are some pretty awful things in the world—”

Zuko’s legs were wobbly, and weak. The crushing weight of guilt was suddenly upon him again, and it was as if he could no longer hold himself up. Aang cut his sentence short when his fire bending teacher suddenly fell to the ground, landing on his backside. He rested a hand to his head, though slightly dazed, he wore an expression of disconcertion. 

“Zuko!” Aang rushed over to him, sliding onto his knees. “Are you alright! What happened?” 

“I’m fine,” he murmured, and then leveled Aang with a look. “there areawful things in the world.” 

Aang knew that he wasn’t talking about a storm. The Avatar felt the feeling in his gut, telling him to move, to proceed. He wanted to hesitate, but he wouldn’t. Not this time, not ever. Aang wouldn’t fail anyone, he wouldn’t fail his friend. He moved to sit next to Zuko, resting his hands behind him and waited. The silence in the air prompted Zuko to continue. 

The prince wavered, frowning at the open air. “At what point do the things you’ve done stop haunting you? I suppose for my actions, it’s justified. Shame shadows me. I find it wherever I go. It follows me even in my dreams. The times I find myself enjoying the things around me…I remember who I am and what I have done. I know that I would not be here if I had not done the things that I did, and I know that it’s the way that it had to be in order to fulfill or intertwine our destinies, but I wonder at what cost. I come from evil. And I still find myself ashamed and hurt,” Zuko sighed. 

Aang thought back to what Toph had told him. _You’re supposed to learn the elements, and probably learn about yourself with the bending teachers you’re learning with._ Maybe it hadn’t directly been what she was intending, but perhaps it was exactly what Aang needed to hear. It wasn’t just for himself. Learning the elements, today had been the first step in helping his friend, because he had been clueless about where to start. When he learned the elements, he learned more about himself and he also learned about those who taught him the elements.

“…The storm was big last night. And there are awful things in the world, like that storm,” Zuko was confused. “the storm last night, for instance, caused many of us to lose sleep, some of us to have unease, or dig at our unwanted thoughts. The winds and heavy rain caused us to lose some of our materials and scattered and broke nature.”

Aang looked around at the area, a soft smile spreading across his face.

“It was like that, last night, and it caused problems today, for sure. But if you look around at how beautiful it is out…I thought to myself this morning, how could something so awful bring something so beautiful? The air is fresh, the rain-fed the soil and will bring new life to the flowers and the trees. All of us worked together to clean up and to make breakfast this morning and to resolve our issues.” 

“Where are you going with this?” 

“Zuko, perhaps you are like this storm. Once you were raging with hate, now you are fresh and new again, transformed, and changed. From the rage, something new has come. You made bad choices, Zuko. Those choices did affect us, they affected us and helped us grow before you joined us. They made us stronger and made us more mindful of our surroundings. Without you, we would have been in a lot more trouble.”

That wasn’t making Zuko feel any better. “Great. So, I trained you all to be afraid.” 

“Not afraid, aware. My point is that you’ve changed. You were the final link in our group, we needed you and I think I knew that all along. Appa could see it, he loves you, really. Zuko, you’re apart of our group. You say that your regret follows you everywhere?” 

Zuko nodded solemnly.

“We all have things that follow us, everywhere we go. It may be regret, it may be the future, it may be broken relationships, it may be _destiny_ …” Aang paused, wincing. “It may be all of that. Those things follow us around and they make us weak, they alter our thoughts and they break us down and distract us from what we need to be focusing on. But the point here is, _we all_ have things that follow us. Everywhere we go.”

Aang rested his hand on Zuko’s knees, sincerity suddenly filling his voice when Zuko’s bright eyes locked with his.

“And those are the things that connect us, and we can be stronger together knowing we all have flaws and weaknesses. We can’t overcome those things by ourselves. These things make us a family, blood is thinner than the world thinks it is.”

“I…” Zuko furiously rubbed his face when his eyes became wet. “I...I am so sorry. For everything. For, well, trying to hunt you down and capture you – I-I won’t be like my father, and…please forgive me.” 

“Zuko, of course, I forgive you, all of us have forgiven you now – er, Katara is getting there, at least. But, all of us know that you are nothing like Firelord Ozai. Your actions show that. Don’t let regret keep you from your destiny, instead, let it drive you to continue to keep moving and keep you from making future mistakes. When regret follows you, remember that you have a family. And that family is us, and we have regrets too.” 

“I have…a family,” Zuko muttered. 

Zuko inhaled a shuddering breath and looked down at Aang. The golden eyes of the fire prince glistened. “You’re very wise for your age. I guess I’m not surprised, seeing as you’re the Avatar.”

Aang smiled and wrapped his arms around the strapping form of the wanted prince. Zuko stiffened at first, and then relaxed, lifting a shaky hand to rest on Aang’s shoulder. Aang pretended to ignore the wet droplets that fell silently from Zuko’s chin and landed on his arms. This talk had been good for not only Zuko but for Aang as well.

It was eye-opening, as Aang spoke, he remembered he was not alone in all of this. That feeling in his gut, that had been telling him to help Zuko was not just for Zuko. It was for both of them. For Aang’s progression as the Avatar and for Zuko’s progression as a person. The mental block that was keeping him from moving forward in his elemental mastering had been scaled. He could not avoid his destiny. It would follow him everywhere, but he was not alone, and the anxieties would continue to keep him moving. 

The moment between Zuko and Aang was short-lasting when suddenly both boys were sopping wet from sky bison saliva. 

“Appa!” Aang groaned, voice laced with playfulness.

Zuko was standing, both arms held away from his body as saliva dripped off of him. He looked annoyed and disgusted, but when Appa licked him a second time, he rolled his eyes and pet the creature fondly, a small smile gracing his features. Aang laughed and hugged his companion. 

“Thank you, Appa,” he whispered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! I hope that if you read this, you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I created this from something of a personal realization, that though there are certain things that follow you wherever you go and just won't leave you alone, other people feel the same way, in in that, you are connected and you can get through it together. :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Just for the record, I love Appa. I think that he loves Zuko, personally, and I'm going to hold onto that because it make's me happy.


End file.
